THE LIN KUEI
by Weenz
Summary: The sequal to I Was Just Going To Dance Class! please, R
1. The Lin Kuei: Chapter 1

The Lin Kuei Part 1  
  
"Come," commanded a mechanical voice from the doorway. Inferna whipped her head around to see who had intruded on her.  
  
"Hey, Metallica, what's up," Inferna smiled to the robot in the doorway. Seemingly out of no where, the robot grasped her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall.  
  
"You may be a favorite of the Grandmaster," the robot sneered to her, "but I personally care not at all. You have come here against your will, and they will kill you on the inside. So if you plan to keep your soul, you will learn respect, and forget all you knew before this place," Sektor threatened. "Do you understand?" Inferna nodded her head quickly, and Sektor released his iron grip. "Change and follow me," he said closing the door.  
  
Inferna quickly pulled on the clothes she had been given, and opened the door. When she did, Sektor shook his robotic head in disgust. "Why isn't your mask pulled up?" he asked her, annoyed.  
  
"It's annoying," Inferna stated back simply. Sektor roughly grabbed the mask and pulled it up to her nose.  
  
"I swear, you're like a child. You have no maturity level and you are stubborn. I have no idea why the Grandmasters chose you," Sektor told her. "Follow me," he instructed.  
  
Sektor's mechanical footsteps echoed throughout the great hallway they were walking in. It was black and cold, and to Inferna was very intimidating. It was definitely the opposite of what she had become accustomed to at the Forces of Light headquarters. They made a right and after a few steps were met with the only other place that Inferna knew of, the great hall. Sektor lead her up to the thrones that the Grandmasters sat upon, and bowed.  
  
"Here is the girl whom you desired, Grandmasters," Sektor told them, and turned and left as one of the Grandmasters dismissed him with a wave of his hand. They looked at her sternly, and finally spoke.  
  
"Inferna, you have come to the most physically painful part of your initiation," the first Grandmaster spoke with a stern voice.  
  
"Physically painful? What do you mean?" Inferna asked in a worried voice.  
  
"You have a good heart, and an even better sense of independence. It is not tolerated in the Lin Kuei if a warrior possesses these to qualities. Your memory, your self-respect, your moral sense, and your personal traits will be stripped from your emotions through a process of physical pain. Unfortunately, since it has been seen that all of these characteristics are so strongly and well developed in you, a very rigorous and tormenting process must be held," The Grandmaster continued, with no sense of compassion hinted at all in his voice.  
  
"But, but you can't do that. It's against the law! What the hell is the matter with you!?" Inferna cried.  
  
"Silence!" The second Grandmaster cracked a whip that seemed to appear out of nowhere across her face, leaving a red mark on the skin that showed behind her mask. "Let the process begin," he continued, and motioned for two warriors dressed in all black that were hidden in the shadow to come forward. They grabbed a struggling Inferna from behind, and held her wrists together. She kicked and screamed and tried to use her power of fire, but it was no use. For some reason, it wasn't working, and the powerful men were too strong for her. Her hands were tied together above her head, and she was placed face down on a wooden table, with her feet tied to it. The table was raised so that her face would be seen to the Grandmasters through a hole in it. The men ripped her shirt off from behind, and tears streamed down her face.  
  
"Begin," a Grandmaster said from his throne. Inferna bit her lip as she waited for whatever it was they were going to do. She was met with a burning hot pain shooting from the middle of her back throughout her body. She let out a scream of pain, and squeezed her eyes shut. The men behind her temporarily let her out of her misery as they lifted the glowing hot iron from her. Blood trickled down Inferna's chin as she bit it so hard. Once again, though, she felt the hot iron press down on her back, this time a little bit higher. She opened her eyes for a moment and saw the Grandmasters staring at her face. She looked back at them with pure hatred as again the iron burned her skin. This procedure was repeated approximately 10 more times until the Grandmasters finally told the men to stop.  
  
"What do you have to say?" one Grandmaster asked her.  
  
"I have to say that you are a total fucking faggots and you're asses are gonna burn, whether it be by me or Satan himself," Inferna choked out bitterly between her sobs. The Grandmaster made a signal to the men behind her. She heard them moving around, and finally she saw the Grandmaster give them another signal.  
  
This time, instead of a hot iron scorching her skin, a knife pricked the skin on her back and dragged down. Inferna felt hot blood pour all over her. "Please, stop, it hurts!" she screamed as the knife made its way across the surface of her body. Finally, it stopped right above her lower back. When it did, she soon felt it plunge through her and rip down, cutting more than just the surface. She arched her back and screamed in pain. The wound was ripped a little bit wider, and pain shocked through her body at a thousand volts. Tears were running profusely from her eyes, and she thought that she would drown in them. From deep within the pain, she felt a hand enter her back through the incision, grab her organ, and pull. There was another cut that again sent pain shocking through her, but coming out of her mouth in a scream of absolute and pure agony.  
  
"What do you have to say now, Inferna?" the Grandmaster asked her. It took a moment for her answer, as she couldn't find the strength to even let out a whisper. At last, her voice found her somewhat, and spoke.  
  
"My name isn't Inferna, cocksucker," she whispered. "What?" he asked her. "I SAID MY GODDAMN NAME ISN'T INFERNA YOU COCKSUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" she screamed with all her might. "Show her," the Grandmaster told the men behind her. The men nodded, and walked around to the front of the table. Inferna stared in complete and utter horror as a blood-soaked, bean shaped organ throbbed in the man's hands before her. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that she had just had a makeshift kidney operation. "You are a sick fuck, do you know that?" she screamed to them. "Sew her back up," the Grandmaster ordered, ignoring the girl's comments. A duller pain went through Inferna's body as the men took a needle and thread to her back. After 25 stitches, it was said that they could continue with the process. Inferna shook her head in pain and defeat as a rattling noise was heard behind her.  
  
Another signal was given to her torturers, and soon she felt the crack of a metal chain against her back. Please, God, let me pass out from this. Let me pass out and wake up at home. Why are you putting me through this? She thought to herself. The pain was sharp and defiant with every crack, and as it hit her new wound she screamed one last time. Ok, its painful, she thought, but I can't let that stop me from thinking clearly. The only way its going to end is if I act like a total brainwashed freak. She explained in her head. Through her red and blurry eyes, she saw the Grandmaster stop the men.  
  
"Inferna, what do you have to say?" he asked her. Inferna closed her eyes, opened them and looked her Grandmaster in the eye. "I wish to learn how to serve my Masters with loyalty," she told them in a monotone voice.  
  
"Very well. Your process is complete. Now leave here, and return to your quarters, where you shall rest for three days' time. Do you understand, Inferna?" the second Grandmaster asked her.  
  
"I understand quite clearly," she said to him. The men cut her free and gently set her down ironically. She bowed before her Grandmasters and walked bravely out of the hall. And as she walked out the door, for one last time, she remembered who she was, and then it was gone. 


	2. The Lin Kuei: Chapter 2

The Lin Kuei Part 2  
  
Inferna walked into her room. The day had been long and tiresome on her muscles, as it was every day. Today, though, had been especially grueling. She was assigned a new partner to spar with. He was no ordinary Clan member, either. He was the only Lin Kuei that could match her performance and abilities. She also felt a slight attachment to him, which was odd for her. Her aching body begged for relief so Inferna dragged herself to the bathroom and turned on the water. She added the scented gel she received daily with her food. Soon the bath was filled with steamy, lavender scented water and bubbles. She stripped her clothes and slid them down a chute in the wall of her bathroom. She tested the water and after confirming it was an appropriate temperature, slid into the water.  
  
She smiled slightly to herself as her body relaxed in the water. Absently she fingered the small glowing red ball around her neck. This new partner was extremely familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She had been in the Lin Kuei for 6 months now, and had forgotten much of what she knew. All she remembered was being taken away from the Forces of Light, which she was told was an extremely horrible place that tortured and hurt her. This man though, was so familiar and brought so many pieces of good memories.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Now remember what I told you," he told her for the millionth time that day. "I know, I know, be in and out of there. I can handle this," she reassured him. He sighed. "Scorpion will be there. So will Reptile. They are both clan members, and they will stop at nothing to get to me. They will kill you gladly if it makes me unhappy," he explained. "And it would make you unhappy?" she asked him. "Sorely," he leaned down the few feet to kiss her, she thought, but he ended up just leaving a peck on her forehead. Inferna smiled up at him. "See you soon," she blew him a kiss.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Inferna sighed deeply and opened her eyes. She had only received good memories in her head from where she had been before, so why would the Grandmasters tell her that she was from such a bad place. I'm probably remembering only what I want to remember, she thought to herself. How dare I think to even question the Grandmasters?, she scolded herself. She knew they only wanted the best for her. Her eyes grew a deep bloodstained red. But still.I wish I could go back there.  
  
"Inferna!" came a voice from outside the door. Inferna lost her train of thought and looked to the door. "One moment, please," she quickly got out of the tub and wrapped a red robe around herself. She opened the door to see Smoke and Sektor standing in the room. Smoke was beaming from ear to ear, while Sektor looked pissed off. "The Grandmasters need to see you at once, Inferna," Sektor told her. She bowed and found her clothes. She walked into the bathroom and quickly changed. She walked back out to find Smoke there alone. "This is great, Inferna, this is really great!" Smoke said giving her a slap on the back. "I hope so," she smiled. Inferna followed Sektor to the great hall where her Grandmasters sat upon their thrones. "You called for me, sires?" she asked them her head bowed. "Yes. Inferna, you have made great progress from the day you came here to the present. We take it you know about the Tournament?" the first Grandmaster said. "I am sorry, but I do not know of which tournament you speak," Inferna replied. "The Tournament of Mortal Kombat. We will fight with the rest of Shao Kahn's warriors against the defenders of earth. If we win, then a victory will be added to our side. Once we have won the tournament 10 times in a row, we will gain access to the portals of Earth. If this happens then Shao Kahn shall rule supreme over Earth with the Lin Kuei at his side. "To compete in the Tournament, we must enter two combatants to represent the Lin Kuei. We feel that you, Inferna, have the skill, strength and discipline to exemplify our great clan. Will you fight in Mortal Kombat?" the Grandmaster explained. "Sires, I thank you gratefully for believing that I could uphold such an honor. I will fight and bring victory not only to the Lin Kuei, but to Shao Kahn as well," Inferna smiled. "Excellent! Your partner will accompany you. He is the only one, besides you, that will be able to bring greatness to our organization. You begin training tomorrow, and in two months will depart for the Tournament," the Grandmaster dismissed Inferna who bowed and walked back to her chambers. When she got there an excited Smoke pounced on her with questions.  
  
"What did they say?!" he asked her as soon as she opened the door. "I'm going to Mortal Kombat!" she exclaimed. She ran up to Smoke and hugged him. "Thank you for being my friend, Smoke. I wish you could come with me. You deserve to for your loyalty alone," she stated. "Yeah, well, I never was really on the Grandmasters' good side. So who do you get to go with?" he asked her. "Him," she said flatly. "Think about it, Inferna, if you get to go with him, then that's even better of a chance for us to win," Smoke tried to cheer her up. "I hope I win," she said thoughtfully. "Of course you'll win. You're Inferna," he said. "I know, but still. From what the Grandmasters told me, it sounds like there is going to be fierce competition," Inferna protested. "I'm sure its nothing that you can't handle," Smoke insisted. "Here, why don't you get changed into your night clothes and go to sleep. You'll need all the rest you can get; you have a big two months ahead of you," Smoke said. Inferna went into the bathroom and changed. Smoke guided her to her cot and pulled the thin blanket up over her. "Sleep now, Inferna," Smoke leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Smoke. Good night," she smiled up at him, and he blew out the candle next to her pillow. 


	3. The Lin Kuei: Chapter 3

The Lin Kuei Part 3  
  
Inferna walked down one of the many hallways that were intricately weaved expertly in the headquarters, to confuse any intruders. She took two lefts, then a right, and found herself slipping into a deep thought. She had accepting competing in the Tournament only a week before and her participation in Mortal Kombat had been announced to the entire Clan the day before. Her train of thought distracted her from rapidly approaching footsteps coming towards her. Suddenly two pairs of hands had her jacked up against the wall, with the palm of one covering her masked mouth.  
  
"Midnight, could you believe how foolish our wise, all knowing, Grandmasters be if they choose to have an inexperienced girl to represent our almighty Clan in Mortal Kombat?" one ninja dressed in the uniform black with a white mask, vest and arm and chin guards addressed the one at his side, who had a deep indigo for his adorning colors. Inferna squirmed under the iron grip of the men.  
  
"I don't know, Avalanche, but I think we should teach this girl a lesson for venturing into places where she is not welcome," Midnight grinned under his mask. The one known as Avalanche smiled, and pulled down his mask. He took Inferna's face in his hands and pulled down her mask as well. He crashed his lips on hers and tried to force his tongue in her mouth. She kicked with her legs beneath his body, but to no avail. Midnight pushed his accomplice out of the way. He went to make contact with Inferna's lips as well, but she took advantage of the transition. She pushed herself up against the wall and kicked both her legs outward, hitting both of the men in the face. They were stunned but not hurt. "You will regret that, you bitch!" cried Avalanche. He got up and charged Inferna, but was blown back by a strong wind. All three looked to the end of the hallway to find a man in a black uniform underneath a royal blue vest calling upon his obvious element of wind. Midnight gave a signal to Avalanche who came up behind Inferna and grabbed her into his mouth. "If you tell anyone what happened here, you will be sorry.you can count on that," Avalanche snarled into her ear. As they ran, the gust died down and the figure at the end of the hallway came running up to her. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" he asked her. "I'm fine. Why did you save me?" she asked him defensively. "Inferna, it's me," he stated, expecting her to recognize him. "Who?" she inquired. "Me, Sky. Remember I brought you here," he explained. "I'm sorry, I don't remember anything before the end of my first week here," she stated, shaking her head. "Oh, they put you through your process," he said in a low tone. He straightened back up. "Look don't worry about them. Those two are just jealous that they weren't chosen to compete. If they bother you again, just let me know," he said. "Thank you, Sky, but I can take care of myself. If I couldn't, then I wouldn't be here now would I?" she said coldly. "Take care," she called over her shoulder and proceeded down the hallway, this time paying more attention to her surroundings.  
  
Inferna led herself to the gym area. Her sparring partner would be there any minute now. She closed her eyes for a moment as she waited for her partner to show up. After a few seconds she opened her eyes when her name was called by a deep, cold voice. She walked over to the man's figure at the other end of the room. When she was about ten feet from him, she stopped and bowed, her left fist crossed over her chest. He mimicked her action and straightened up. "Sub-Zero, how good of you to grace me with your presence," she answered, her tongue flaming with despise. He advanced to her and immediately she struck her fighting stance, ready for attack. "No, no, Inferna. I wish only to speak with you," Sub-Zero explained. She looked at him with curiosity, but followed him to a sitting position at the edge of the sparring ring.  
  
"We have been chosen to participate in Mortal Kombat," Sub-Zero started, hesitating. "Yes, we have been given a great honor," Inferna answered. "Since we are sharing a special bond by competing together, I was thinking maybe we could share a sort of friendship as well," he replied uncomfortably. "Sub-Zero, you know as well as I that such a bond cannot exist between two assassins in the Lin Kuei," Inferna argued. Metal stomping was heard in the background but neither Inferna nor Sub-Zero paid any attention. Soon the footsteps stopped and a red and silver metal head popped out from the doorway. Even louder footsteps were heard, and both parties in the ring turned their heads to see an angry Sektor stomping up to them. "The Grandmasters assign their so-called 'best assassins' to extra training for the upcoming Tournament and what do they do? Slack off!" Sektor's mechanical voice cried angrily. "We were speaking of Mortal Kombat," Sub-Zero replied coolly. "Of course you were. You must come to the throne room," Sektor pointed at Inferna. He turned and left, Inferna right behind. Sub-Zero silently grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. "I know you know where my brother is. Please, I beg of you, tell me where to go," there was desperation and sadness replacing the usual icy sternness in his voice. She looked at his pleading eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Inferna asked. "Find yourself, Inferna, and then find my brother," he left his cryptic words in her head and let go of her arm. She raced to catch up with Sektor.  
  
The Grandmasters had wanted to see her to recover an ancient scroll from them. She opened it and squinted her eyes to read the symbols on it. She sighed in exasperation as she realized the whole thing was written in Chinese. She trekked to her bunk and sat down on the cot. Soon afterwards, Smoke entered the room to find Inferna with her face in her hands. He sat down next to her and put a brotherly arm around her. "What's the matter?" he asked in a gentle tone. "Smoke what happened to me?" Inferna asked, her voice obviously straining to not crack. "What do you mean?" he asked. "What happened to me before I came here? Why did Sub-Zero ask me where his brother was?" Inferna jerked her tear-rimmed eyes to Smoke's face. He let out a huge exhale. "It is not my place," he said after a long pause. Inferna grabbed Smoke by his silver vest. "TELL ME!" she demanded. Smoke hesitated, but gently brought her hands back to her sides. "If I tell you," he started, "you must swear yourself to secrecy." "I swear my life upon it," Inferna replied. "Sub-Zero is not the first Lin Kuei of his family," Smoke began. Inferna looked at him inquisitively, but did not interrupt. "He has an older brother of the same name. A brother who was once my best friend. This man and I had the same views when it came to the ways the Lin Kuei. We felt that the Clan was not fair to civilians, so we decided to leave for good. The Grandmasters used the Black Arts to raise a Shirai Ryu spectre from the pits of Hell. They promised him revenge upon the one that had killed him, Sub-Zero, if he found us and killed us. When this demon, Scorpion as he called himself, reached us, Sub-Zero fought him off, as he had used his elemental power of fire to put me in a state that simulated death. Sub-Zero mourned me, and has regretted my 'death' ever since, or so I have been told. He left our cave where we had shelter and the Lin Kuei eventually found me. As punishment, I was turned into a robot, much like Sektor. After a fire in the Headquarters, and my bravery of rescuing the Grandmasters who condemned me to immortality and eternal hell, I earned back my right to live in my human form. Sub-Zero reverted to wandering his home realm, Earth. That was the last I've heard of him," Smoke concluded. Inferna had clutched the red ball around her neck. For the first time, Smoke noticed it, and his eyes widened in horror. "That is the sign of Shirai Ryu!" Smoke said grabbing for the pendant. Inferna instinctively slapped his hand away. "You must do away with that!" he whispered loudly. "Where did you get that anyways?" he wanted to know.  
  
"I don't know, but it's the only reminder I have of where I was before this place," she said. "I don't mean to be rude, Smoke, but that still does not tell me where I came from," Inferna protested. "Inferna, truthfully, I don't know where you came from. To find that out, you must speak to Sky. He's the one who brought you," he answered, staring at the necklace. She got up, but Smoke held her down by her shoulder. "I must warn you. Going about finding out where you come from could be a very dangerous task. If you are not careful, it could lead to your death," he said seriously. She put a reassuring hand over his and smiled. "I'll be okay," she said and left the room looking for Sub-Zero to see if he could translate the scroll. 


End file.
